


To Get to the Other Side

by likealocket



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: M/M, Olympics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-28
Updated: 2010-02-28
Packaged: 2017-11-04 15:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/395392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likealocket/pseuds/likealocket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing is, they've basically been playing 'Ask Me' Chicken for a few months now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Get to the Other Side

**Author's Note:**

> For pax_et_amor, who wanted: Matt visiting Anoop in LA and Anoop wanting him to stay but not wanting to ask and Matt wanting Anoop to ask him to stay. (Got that?)
> 
> No beta and I'm crazy nervous about that. :/ Thanks to lovealwaysliana and my Matt Stans for all the cheer leading.

The thing is, they've basically been playing 'Ask Me' Chicken for a few months now.

It's a little bit about how they haven't hooked up since those few times on the tour. Anoop would really be okay with that starting up again and Matt's not exactly subtle, so it's pretty clear where he stands on that one too. But it's mostly about how Anoop is in LA now, with an apartment and no reason that Matt shouldn't be living in it too.

When they text or talk on the phone or iChat, it's the white elephant that neither of them will mention. Anoop wants him here, of course he does, and it makes much more sense for his career than staying in Michigan. But he's not going to ask because when has not having a written invitation ever stopped Matt from doing anything he really wants to do?

He's pretty sure Matt wants to be living with him in LA, but that he wants Anoop to ask him to come and stay. Which is twelve kinds of illogical, but Matt has at least seven more kinds of illogical lying in wait that Anoop has witnessed firsthand.

So. 'Ask Me' Chicken.

Matt mentions he has some private gigs lined up and some people he wants to write with in the city, so he invites Matt to crash at his place while he's in town. The and then don't leave is everywhere between the lines, but then Matt emails Anoop his flight info -including a return flight- and so Anoop has to find new and interesting ways to up his game because there is no way he's going to be the one to break first.

Anoop picks him up at the airport and when they get back to his place, he points Matt down the hall toward his bedroom and the guest bedroom, but Matt drops his suitcase by the couch with a grin before he goes to take a self-guided tour.

They go out to a late lunch with Brandon and to the studio where Anoop's been recording to hear the latest mixes. Dinner is take-out Chinese while they watch the Olympics, because even though neither of them understands Curling or Ice Dancing, for two weeks every four years, they both like to pretend that they do.

"Sweep! SWEEP!" Matt shouts at the Swedish team, making sweeping motions with his arms. He's sitting at such a weird angle that he's practically lying down, with one knee hooked over the arm of the couch, the other foot on the carpet and his head propped up on the back cushions. The top of it keeps bumping Anoop's arm when he 'sweeps'. "No, no, no! Go THAT way. Hit that other stone so it's out of the," he pauses to yawn, "green circle thing!"

It's getting late for Matt, who's body is still on Michigan time but he's visibly fighting it. Anoop thinks he knows why and he's impressed with Matt's tactics.

Even with the openings Anoop gave him all day, Matt hasn't moved his suitcase into the guest room yet and Anoop's beginning to think Matt's actually planning to sleep on the _couch_. That he won't even sleep in the guest bedroom unless Anoop outright asks him to specifically.

So he'll just sit here until Matt has to go to sleep. He's not above smacking Matt awake if he tries the accidentally-falling-asleep thing to get out of it. Anoop has the Pacific Time Zone on his side and he's totally willing to smoke Matt out on this one. Victory will be his.

The Swedes take Matt's coaching through the TV somehow and do exactly what he said on the next throw. They win the end and after another half hour, the game. When the coverage breaks for commercials before the next game (Germany vs. Denmark), Anoop sits back smugly and waits for Matt to kick him off the couch or head for the guest room.

But then Matt twists his head a little to look at Anoop from that weird angle and says, "So who're you going with? Good money's on Denmark. They're 2-7, but I feel some magic in the air."

Matt wiggles his fingers and eyebrows, which looks even lamer from this angle, but also makes Anoop want him here all time to make stupid faces over late night TV.

"Okay, that's _it_ ," Anoop says decisively. Without giving Matt a chance to stop him he leans over, grabs Matt by the front of his stupid Mickey Mouse tee shirt and kisses him almost upside-down.

Matt flails for a couple seconds, not pulling away, but kind of working out the feel of what ended up where since the angle is admittedly not the one Anoop would have ideally picked for this moment. Then he gets into it, lips pressing back against Anoop's with just as much intensity.

"Dude," Matt says, breaking the kiss and laughing against Anoop's filtrum, which is a little more awkward than sexy since it means he's sort of breathing up Anoop's nose. "Hi. So Denmark then?"

"I have a guest bedroom with your name on it, asshole," Anoop says, without even moving, because it turns out Matt this close is good any way he can get it. It's maybe not the way he meant to say that, but nothing ever goes as expected for them, he's figured out.

After all these months, this is the closest they've come to saying anything about it out loud. Matt pulls away for real this time, shifting around so he's sitting up. Anoop mirrors him until they're side by side on the couch and not touching at all. Anoop resolutely looks straight ahead at the inspirational Visa commercial on TV and doesn't take this as a good sign.

He had been expecting Matt to pull him down on top of him in an awkward tangle that would have probably ended up with them both on the floor. Playful is Matt's style, and he loves to mess with Anoop, poking and prodding until he cracks a smile. This is pretty much the opposite of that, which probably means he's not getting... a roommate.

"I think the guest bedroom should stay the guest bedroom," Matt says, too seriously. Anoop can tell he's still looking at the TV too.

"Okay," Anoop says.

That's his answer then. Not what he was expecting when Matt kissed him back, but maybe it was more about that part than the being-here-all-the-time part for him. Maybe Matt just wants to hook up when they're in the same town.

Anoop wants to make an excuse about getting another beer or returning a phone call or something to get him away for a few minutes so he can salvage some of his dignity but he can't think of anything to say, so he just shifts to stand up.

"I mean," Matt says, and against his will Anoop freezes, but he refuses to turn his head and look at him. "We only need one bed right?"

And then, because he's an absolute tool, Matt's first two fingers start spider-walking up Anoop's thigh.

Anoop just stares at them for a few seconds, and when they take a sharp left turn toward his cock, he finally looks up. Matt's still looking at the TV, trying hard to fight back a smile.

"You suck," Anoop says and Matt pulls him into a sloppy headlock, twisting Anoop so he can kiss at a weird angle this time. He pulls away quickly when he hears Bob Costas welcome them back from the commercial break.

"Shh, it's starting. That's it... Sweeeeeep!" Matt couch-coaches as the Danes throw their first stone. His sweeping arm around Anoop's neck isn't as uncomfortable as he would have expected. One more game and then they can go to bed. Together.

"Chicken," Anoop concedes into the crook of Matt's elbow.


End file.
